The Nuclear Option — Dr. Obama's Prescription: More Troops for Ebola Than Islamic State

20 Sep 2014

You think Ebola is scary now, just wait until Doctor Obama gets through with it.

Declaring the deadly viral epidemic a national security threat, the president who invented Obamacare is dispatching our military to West Africa. Into the jungled Hot Zone he plans to send some three thousand U.S. troops trained to fight soldiers of war and enemy combatants.

No hedging, hemming or hawing. That’s 3,000 sets of boots on the ground.

Nearly twice as many as the president will admit he is committing to combat the Islamic State group in Iraq.

Of course, that does not count the number of boots on the ground that will be dispatched into Iraq after one of our courageous fighter pilots gets shot down or has to eject over enemy territory.

War is untidy business and unexpected things always happen. Politicians always seem to forget that when they send our boys into battle. Then quickly retreat when inevitably reminded of it by some horrible tragedy.

Anyway, taking Ebola seriously is to be commended.

It is an unspeakable human crisis that is going on in Liberia and other West African countries. Something very close to hell on earth. A plague of evil that kills indiscriminately. Actually, it especially preys on the kindest, bravest, most loving and loyal people: The people who risk their lives to save another. Or maybe just to comfort someone dying.

Welcome to another global crisis, Mr. President.

In addition to the heartbreaking savagery of the virus, there are other, real threats to be considered.

One highly-respected epidemiologist points out that since this is the largest Ebola outbreak in history, the virus has mutated more in just a few months through thousands of transmissions than it has in perhaps the previous 1,000 years. Eventually, a virus such as this will mutate into a far more deadly virus that is more easily transmitted, perhaps through the air.

This, all agree, would be catastrophic, causing the epidemic to quickly sweep the globe, including the United States.

Thankfully, the White House has already addressed this terrifying prospect.

“Right now, the risk of an Ebola outbreak in the United States is very low,” explained White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

Thank goodness.

Now, it should be noted that Josh Earnest is not exactly an epidemiologist or a doctor of any kind or in any way a qualified Ebola expert. His expertise centers on a different type of bodily excretion, which he daily shovels to hungry, willing and gullible reporters gathered around him.

The other threat comes from people — perhaps unwittingly, but likely with nefarious intentions — sneaking into the United States with the Ebola virus. This threat was rather shockingly displayed last week when a U.S. air marshal was attacked with a syringe in the airport in Nigeria. (It was not, reportedly, Ebola.)

Guarding against these sorts of threats, of course, requires a sane border policy that does not simply usher into the United States tens of thousands of diseased and downtrodden illegals streaming across the Mexican border. It requires sealing the border and stopping illegals from entering the country, perhaps even with military troops. Maybe, say, 3,000 of them.

But they will be in West Africa. Somehow fighting Ebola.

Charles Hurt can be reached at charleshurt@live.com, or on Twitter at @charleshurt.